Murray Darling Plan draws mixed verdict after 5 years

“The truth is that everything we said should happen in terms of putting a proper value on water under the plan is happening. The water is there if you have the money to pay for it. It’s going to its highest-value uses such as almonds and cotton, and agriculture in the Murray-Darling Basin — especially in the southern river system — is so much more efficient as a result.” This is the decidedly economic-rationalist view of the achievements of the $13 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan after its first five years of operation according to Danny Thomas, Shepparton based CBRE real estate agent and an expert in the value of commercial irrigated farmland in the vast Murray-Darling Basin.

In this article, The Australian's Sue Neales continues her investigations on progress of the Murray Darling Basin Plan.